I love gardens!  Yes I do!  I love the tender shoots when they first pop their little heads out of the cold winter soil.  I love to see the very first blossoms of the spring.  I love the way flowers seem to bloom at different times of the season insuring a colorful pallet long into the fall.  But…

I really don’t like to garden.  I love the noun, but the verb, not so much.  When spring rolls around and I know it’s that time of year again, the time to weed and thin out the plants, I have to psych myself up to work.  Give me a mixing bowl and spoon anyday, but a trowel and hoe…ugh!

Guess that’s why God, the master gardener, brought Len and Patty into  our lives.  I’ve written about them every year since they offered to help us bring this beautiful garden back to its glory days.  They motivate me to help, even though I have to really push myself to do it.  The fellowship is well worth the squatting, pulling, digging, weeding, and watering!

I thought I would share some of the pictures from Patty and Len’s visit over Memorial Day weekend.

After long hours of work, Len treated Patty to a nice pedicure!  Red garden bucket with warm water on the patio…I supplied the fragrant bath salts.

Even though gardening isn’t my favorite activity around the inn, I sure can appreciate all the hard work, diligence, and love it takes to keep a garden healthy and blooming.  I appreciate my wonderful husband’s time as he weeds and waters the garden throughout the season.

My favorite part of having a garden is sharing it.  Watching guests enjoy relaxing beside the garden, seeing children’s smiles as they spy a garden gnome and answering their questions about the special “gnome door” on our old cottonwood tree, and giving shoots and plants to guests who want to add them to their home gardens.  Don’t ever hesitate to walk through our gardens if you are in Grand Rapids.  We want all to enjoy it!  One of my favorite guests from this past spring put it so simply when she told me:

“I always give away plants from my garden.  When you give away your garden it just keeps on growing!”

Thelma F. , Mill House Guest

Yes Thelma,  that is a great quote and not only does it apply to a garden, it reminds me of life.  The more we give the more we get!!